This week we slice and dice with writer/director Logan Kibens. She's on the program to discuss Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life. This is one of Logan's favorite films as well, and she explains the philosophical aspects of it that keep her coming back to watch over and over again. She and April point out how this film is a precursor to shows like 'The Good Place.' Logan elaborates on working with actors and getting past the intimidation phase. She discusses convincing people to invest in her first feature, even though she'd never directed one before. Logan also talks about working on that debut feature, Operator, starring Martin Starr and Mae Whitman. Plus, they examine how even though Defending Your Life flopped upon its release, it has endured due to its universal message of living without fear.

This week Danielle and Lindsey are joined by Selina Majors. She’s been a wrestler since the 80’s for promotions like AWA and WCW. These days, she spends her time with WOW - Women of Wrestling, where she continues to perform and train the next generation of wrestlers.

Amid laughs and tears, Majors will discuss why she’s still passionate about wrestling after all these years, who she’s had a hand in training and why she’s so excited to share WOW with a new audience.

Our dead pilot this month is called American Alien written by Sierra Teller Ornelas (Superstore, Happy Endings). We recorded this one live from The USC Comedy Festival! American Alien centers around Denise “Dee Dee” and Sonny Mendoza, a small-town brother-and-sister team who struggle to keep their working-class jobs while also protecting vulnerable space aliens from everyday pitfalls in their hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

We had a great cast for this one including Kaliko Kauhi as Dee Dee, Dustin Ybarra as Sonny
Kevin Sussman as Connor, Stephnie Weir as Ruth, Nichole Bloom as Jackie/Professional Woman 1
Kevin Balmore as Hector/Little Boy, Maria Blasucci as Mavis/Stacy/Professional Woman 2, Logan Hall as T’Oliver/Yadelah/Old Man/Tough Guy/Cliff, and Andrew Reich with stage directions.

Stay tuned after the read Andrew interviews Sierra regarding her dead pilot and there’s also a Q & A with the crowd too!

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes, and information about our live shows please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Our dead pilot this month is The Prince by Mehar Sethi (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Bojack Horseman). When Dave Whitney, a ruthless corporate fixer in Texas, is passed over for a promotion in his family's oil business, he decides to take the whole company down. Mehar describes it as "What if Karl Rove worked for Greenpeace?"

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes, and information about our live shows please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

Our dead pilot this month was written by Brian Gallivan (The McCarthy’s, Happy Endings). It’s called Mr. Joyce’s Opus and it centers around Chuck Joyce, a Catholic school teacher, who throws out his curriculum to connect with his students despite the fact that they’re all horrible little monsters.

Andrew interviews Brian regarding his career, the development process for this pilot, and how he handles network notes calls. You’ll also listen to a live table read of Mr. Joyce’s Opus, performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors.

Come to our next live show at The USC Comedy Festival on November 4th at 4pm. Because we love our fans sooooo much, this show is completely free! We’re reading a pilot called American Alien written by Sierra Teller Ornelas (Superstore, Splitting Up Together).

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

We have a great pilot this month. It’s called Talk Nerdy to Me and it’s written by Morgan Murphy (2 Broke Girls, Jimmy Kimmel Live). The log line for this one is a squad of four dorky but brilliant women sharing a house in Venice, CA deal with VR porn, leaky rowboats, people urinating while rollerblading, and other facts of life in Silicon Beach. In this episode, Andrew interviews Morgan regarding her dead pilot and you’ll also listen to a live table read of Talk Nerdy to Me, performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors!

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

This month’s pilot is hilarious and it's written by Justin Halpern & Patrick Schumacker (Powerless, S#*! My Dad Said) It’s called Suspended and it centers around an honors English Literature teacher accustomed to teaching the best and brightest who winds up being put in charge of a bunch of students in in-school suspension. Andrew interviews Justin and Patrick regarding their dead pilot and you’ll also listen to a live table read of Suspended, performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors.

Missed our last live show at Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth?! We’re having another one on September 23rd! Buy tickets below:

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

This week we're very lucky to have the director of A24's new film Never Goin' Back, Augustine Frizzell. She's on the show to talk with April Wolfe about the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski. April and her discuss the friendship on screen between Jeff Bridge's character 'The Dude' and John Goodman's 'Walter', and how that relationship is the emotional center of the film. Augustine relates this to the friendship she crafted in her film, and how writing for those characters was walking a fine line between pathetic and endearing. They also compare these two films in terms of capturing the essence of a city; Los Angeles for The Big Lebowski and Dallas for Never Goin' Back. Plus, Augustine has a pretty fascinating story of how she came to filmmaking after being a broke, single Mom at the age of eighteen. And she explains how those life experiences helped shape her debut film.

This month’s pilot is a special one written by the great Jenji Kohan! Jenji created Weeds, Orange is the New Black, and is the executive producer of the new hit Netflix series Glow. Her pilot this week is called Gold and it’s about a divorce lawyer named Bobby Gold and the volatile marriages he’s paid to break up. Listen to Andrew's interview with Jenji followed by the table read!!

Missed our last live show at Dynasty Typewriter at The Hayworth?! We’re having another one on September 23rd at 2pm! Buy tickets below:

For more Dead Pilot Society episodes and information about our live shows, please subscribe to the podcast! Make sure to like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram @deadpilotspod, on twitter @deadpilotspod, and visit our website at deadpilotssociety.com.

In this episode, Ben Blacker interviews Elizabeth Laime (Totally Laime; Totally Married; Totally Mommy) regarding her dead pilot, Totally Laime. You'll also listen to a live table read of Totally Laime, performed by some of today's funniest comedic actors.

We also want to thank all of our Max Fun members, new and old! We really couldn’t do this show without you! If you’re not a member, you can become one by going to maximumfun.org/donate. With your donation, you’ll get access to our awesome bonus content including a reading of The Mary Tyler Moore Show pilot, Steve Agee’s Weekend Dracula, and a special reading of a TV adaptation of the film Big, at The ATX FESTIVAL. Donate now and thank you again for all of the support!